August 19th, 2024

Hello, Forest Park Families!

In just over 2 weeks, we'll be welcoming our Forest Park Students back to school on Tuesday 9/3. I can't wait to see many familiar faces, and also meet our new students that are joining our Franklin Public Schools family as a Wildcat!

Here are a few important reminders as we gear up for school to start:

• Lockers: Please encourage your child to practice and use their locker. Open House (Aug. 29th from 4pm-7pm) and our Open School Day (Aug 22nd from 8am-4pm) are a great time to come in and practice.

• Handbook & 24/25 Schedule: Please be aware of our bell schedule and review our handbook HERE.

• Student Schedules: Schedules will be live for you to view later this week; you will be notified via email when schedules are ready in PowerSchool. These schedules will indicate your students' house teachers and encore teachers. Students are placed in either a four or two person house. Our Core Academic areas are Math, ELA (includes reading and writing), Social Studies, and Science.

• Advisory: Advisory is every Monday morning for 20 minutes. Your child will have a teacher in their house as their Advisory teacher. The purpose of advisory is to kick off each week with a positive mindset and focus on community building, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), academics, and leadership.

• Mission: Our mission statement at FPMS is, “Forest Park Middle School is committed to Academic Excellence, Integrity, High Expectations, & Mutual Respect".

• Administrative Team: At each grade level, we have assigned administrators and counselors. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year please reach out to your “go-to” administrator.

6th Grade: Mr. John Brandes & Mr. Brian Karolewicz / Mrs. Ellen Montenero

7th Grade: Mr. Brian Karolewicz / Ms. Melinda Greco

8th Grade: Mr. John Brandes/ Mrs. Bernadette Van Lith

School Psychology: Ms. Melody Caesar

Building Principal: Ms. Jenna Rosienski

Important Dates:

6th Grade Welcome Visits:

• Tuesday, August 27th from 7:30-3:30

The transition to middle school is an important milestone in a student's educational journey.We recognize that this transition can also be stressful, exciting, and scary for both students and families. In order to provide a warm welcome and help ease the worry of the transition, 6th grade teams will embark on home visits to establish a friendly face and provide an awesome Forest Park swag bag to your student!

The visit is intended to consist of a brief “hello and welcome!” from two of you students house teachers. Please do not feel obligated to alter your schedule or plan your day around the visit - we will not be entering your home, our purpose is to spread Wildcat pride and make connections. If your family prefers to opt out of a welcome visit, please email me at jenna.rosienski@franklin.k12.wi.us.

Open School Day:

• Thursday, Aug 22, 8am-4pm

FPMS Open School Day offers a relaxed format for families to visit Forest Park to walk their student’s schedule, practice opening lockers and stop in the office to pay student fees, ask questions, etc. We highly encourage taking advantage of this opportunity!

**Please bring a printed copy of your student's schedule as our main office will be busy which can cause significant wait times if you are hoping to have us print a schedule for you.

**Please note, teachers will not be in the building on these dates and we require any visiting student to be accompanied by an adult.

Open House:

• Thursday, Aug 29, 4pm-7pm

We are excited to offer this opportunity before the school year begins. Students and families will be able to tour the building, check out classrooms and visit with teachers. Please bring a printed copy of your student's schedule as our main office will be busy which can cause significant wait times if you are hoping to have us print a schedule for you.

*If you are a 6th grade parent/family, please continue reading regarding details of how we structure our Open House for incoming 6th graders.

Attention 6th Grade Families! 6th Grade Open House: The 6th grade staff will host 30-minute sessions during the open house for you and your child to learn more about the ins and outs of middle school and our house system. There will be 5 different times to choose from and you only need to attend one session. Sessions will be at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30, and 6:00.

Locations for sessions are as follows:

• Blue House: C100 (Hogan, Wachter, Lewandowski, Wiemers)

• Gold House: C115 (D. Hogan, Schuh, Ilk, Rivard)

• Green House: C111 (Rosencrants, Fenn)

• Red House: C110 (Stauber, Tuchel, Szablewski, Perfetto)

If you have any questions about the 6th grade style open house, please reach out to 6th grade teacher, Tim Hogan at timothy.hogan@franklin.k12.wi.us.

jenna.rosienski@franklin.k12.wi.us

Please take a moment to review the FPMS drop-off and pick-up procedures video before the school year begins. The procedures are the same as last year. We appreciate your cooperation in following these guidelines.

Students and families are invited to Forest Park's Open House on Thursday August 29th from 4pm-7pm! This is a great time to visit with teachers, tour the building and stop in the office to get your questions answered.

**Please bring a printed copy of your student's schedule as our main office will be busy which can cause significant wait times if you are hoping to have us print a schedule for you.

This year Forest Park will be offering several opportunities for students to get their school photo taken.

Prior to school starting, students, along with a parent/guardian, can come to our Open School Day on Thursday 8/22 or our Open House on 8/29 and have their picture taken by the photography company, School and Sport Pics.

On Thursday September 26th, School and Sport Pics will be back at Forest Park to take any remaining student photos during the regular school day.

If you wish to have your student's photo taken during the Open School Day or Open House, an appointment with School and Sport Pics is required.

Sign up for a picture time here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4DA8AB2EA3FAC16-50128669-forest

Pictures can be ordered online here:

https://orders.schoolandsportpics.com/ordering

Use the drop down menu to select your school name

If you have any questions about school photos, please email School and Sport Pics directly at customerservice@schoolandsportpics.com.

Through our continued partnership with Forte Theatre, we are pleased to share that Forte Youth Productions is holding auditions for their next youth musical production, Oliver! Jr that will be taking place at the Saber Center for the Performing Arts in late January and early February! This adaptation of the classic novel & award-winning musical springs to life with some of the most memorable characters & songs to ever grace the stage!

• Auditions for grades 6th-12th: Mon 9/9 & Tues 9/10 6-8pm (please sign up for one 15 min time slot)

• Audition location: FHS Choir Room

• Callbacks: Thurs 9/12 5p-8p

• Rehearsals: Mon 11/25 - Thurs 1/30/25 (no rehearsals during holiday breaks)

• Performances: Fri 1/31/25 to Sun 2/2/25 at the FHS Saber Center

• More info at https://www.fortetheatrecompany.org/oliver-jr

* If you aren't available for auditions, but would still like to be considered, please contact us at randall@fortetheatrecompany.org

The first *and* second days of the school year will both be A days (Tuesday 9/3 and Wednesday 9/4). This is to align with the high school's A/B schedule. Please be sure your student comes to school with a printed schedule!

You can find the A/B calendar on the district's website HERE.

Forest Park is proud to offer a variety of athletic and activity opportunities for our students!

Please visit Forest Park's website HERE to learn more about athletic offerings. Registration is currently open for students looking to participate in a Fall Sport. Registration is available on the Forest Park website by choosing the “Activities and Athletics” tab. You can also access the registration website HERE.

Students who wish to participate in Girls Basketball (7th/8th graders) or Cross Country (6th/7th/8th graders) must register *prior* to the start of school on September 3rd 2024. Participating in any athletic offerings (including tryouts and practices) at Forest Park requires a valid and signed physical form to be uploaded to your student's online registration (we do NOT accept paper copies of physical forms!).

Information about activities/clubs will be available once school is back in session. Registration for all activities (clubs) happens either at the first meeting or through a separate online sign up system. Information on how to sign up for activities will be shared with families as they start up throughout the year. Visit Forest Park's website HERE to learn more about activity offerings.

If there are questions regarding activities and athletics, please contact Brian Karolewicz at 414-525-7590 or brian.karolewicz@franklin.k12.wi.us.

Go Wildcats!

Use code EXTRA20 and get 20% off plus discounted shipping on all orders! Offer expires on 8/30/24.

FOREST PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL's Sideline Store is open 24/7, 365! From sweatshirts and t-shirts, to jackets and accessories, you can find unlimited customizable gear to show your support for Forest Park.

Click HERE to start shopping, and Go Wildcats!

**If you have any questions about the products offered or need any help with ordering, please connect with the Sideline Store customer service team by clicking HERE.

Over the summer, Franklin Public Schools communicated a few times about the Franklin School Board’s decision to move forward with putting a referendum question on the November 5th general election ballot. The recent Summer District Newsletter here has lots of information and updates to review including results from the spring Community Survey, the adjusted scope of the $145M referendum, project focus, October community sharing sessions and tours at FHS, financial information including tax impact, voting information and a phasing video of the projects planned for FHS if the referendum passes.

All of this information is housed on our Franklin Forward website here. Thank you for being informed and please plan to vote on November 5th!

As we shared in our final newsletters in June, going into the 2024-25 School Year, our Food Service platform has transitioned to a new platform called SchoolCafe. Please note that all remaining balances from last school year have been moved over to SchoolCafe for this year! $$$

Below are (2) handouts that explain the following:

1. Handout 1 (1 page) - Get the App for your smartphone so you can deposit money in your child(ren)'s account(s)
   
2. Handout 2 (2 pages) Directions on how to create accounts for your students so you can add money, set up automatic payments, and set up low balance alerts.

You can get started with creating your account by going to https://family.schoolcafe.com/FPS and utilize the directions linked above or pictured below.

If after following the directions above, you have any questions, please contact:

Jessica Christensen, Food Service Manager

jessica.christensen@franklin.k12.wi.us

(414)-423-4656

As shared above, Franklin Public Schools now utilizes School Cafe for lunch purchases, menu planning and free/reduced applications. We have updated our website HERE with all of the Free & Reduced Lunch information for the 2024-25 details and that information is also below and this specific spot on our Lunch page explains what to do for Free & Reduced Lunch

All Free and Reduced Lunch applications must be submitted online after August 1st for the upcoming school year. Any families that qualified for free/reduced lunch in the 2023-24 school year (last school year) should apply for new benefits yearly. Last year’s benefits will expire after October 16, 2024. Once approved, you will be notified. Please direct any questions regarding free/reduced lunch or fee waivers to FPS Auxiliary Services Coordinator Heidi Engel (414-525-7634) or heidi.engel@franklin.k12.wi.us Please note that the district office will be closed on Fridays through August 30th.

Please help your child prepare their chromebook for the first day of school! All incoming grades 5K-12 should have a chromebook at home unless it went in for repair over the summer or you are new to the district. Please see the nearby handout (and linked here) for things to take care of before heading to school for the first day!

If your child will require ANY (over the counter or prescription) medication for the upcoming school year, please fill out the Request to Administer Medication form found on our district website and have it signed by your healthcare provider. This form can either be:

1. scanned and emailed to nurses@franklin.k12.wi.us

2. This form can be turned into your school's main office.

In addition, all medication can be dropped off at school in its original container.

Please see the chart to the left for the state required immunizations for your child(ren) as they enter the grade levels listed.

The Student Immunization Law requires that all students through grade 12 meet a minimum number of required immunizations prior to school entrance. To remain compliant with the law, the student immunization record must be completed by either claiming a waiver (Step 1, Step 4, and Step 5) or providing the dates of the required immunizations (Step 1, Step 2, and Step 5).

Please email, fax, or drop off the completed waiver/record to your school's front office. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to nurses@franklin.k12.wi.us

Come join us for our annual 1 mile Franklin Youth Race, Tuesday August 27th, 2024 at 5 p.m, located at Franklin High School’s Upper Field. This youth race is open to all children's Kindergarten through 8th grade, and is sponsored by the girls and boys High School Cross Country Teams. The cost is $5.00 and includes a Tshirt. Awards will be given to both the top 2 finishers in each grade level for girls and boys. We look forward to hosting all young runners and families! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Open School Day offers a relaxed format for families to visit Forest Park to walk their student’s schedule, practice opening lockers and stop in the office to ask questions. We highly encourage taking advantage of this opportunity!

**Please note, teachers will not be in the building on these dates and we require any visiting student to be accompanied by an adult.

Join us on Thursday 8/22 anytime between 8am-4pm!

School supply lists can be found online here.

If your student will be riding an alternate bus home with a friend due to an unforeseen circumstance, please complete THIS form by 11am on the on the date of this change. The bus company requires consent from both parents/guardians; in other words, one parent/guardian for each student must submit this form in order for us to make this change happen.Forms that are not completed by 11am on the date of the change run the risk of not being processed in time for dismissal. Bus drivers will not allow extra riders on a bus without proof of both parent and school approval.

If you are requesting a bus route change that will be for more than one day, please connect with Heidi at our district office by emailing her at heidi.engel@franklin.k12.wi.us.

If you have any questions, please call the Forest Park office at 414-529-8250.

Thank you!

Please be sure to read the newest District Newsletter that comes out now every Friday. You can access all the issues here.

• Ellen Montenero, 6th grade counselor: ellen.montenero@franklin.k12.wi.us
• Mindy Greco, 7th grade counselor: melinda.greco@franklin.k12.wi.us
• Bernadette VanLith, 8th grade counselor: bernadette.vanlith@franklin.k12.wi.us.wi.us

All past newsletters are stored on our website here

School Secretary Email: Betsy.Halat@franklin.k12.wi.us

Website: https://www.franklin.k12.wi.us/forest-park-middle-school

Location: 8225 W Forest Hill Ave, Franklin, WI 53132, USA

Phone: 414-529- 8250

Fax: 414-529-2428

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForestParkMS/